Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has considered deploying military assets to assist the Border Force in preventing illegal maritime entry into the UK.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Home Office is the lead Government Department responsible for border security and migration. It has established the Border Security Command to strengthen global partnerships and enhance the UK’s efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute people smugglers profiting from the dangerous movement of people across the channel. This continues to incorporate the lessons identified by Defence when it had primacy for migration operations in the channel, including the procurement and use of task-specific assets.

Defence assets are procured for Defence tasks and are therefore not optimised for the issue the hon. Member raises. These assets play a critical part in preserving UK maritime security through shadowing and monitoring warships transiting the UK Exclusive Economic Zone or territorial waters.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of diversity, equality and inclusion policies on recruitment to the armed forces.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The recruitment and retention of talented personnel to the Armed Forces is mission critical. We must draw from the broadest diversity of thought, skills, and background to ensure we continue to meet the threats we face and safeguard the security, stability, and prosperity of our nation. To do this, we are fostering an inclusive environment, enabling everyone, irrespective of background, to deliver our Defence outputs. Without fostering such an environment, we risk undermining our ability to attract people with valuable contributions to make. The Ministry of Defence is committed to fostering an inclusive environment to ensure that all can thrive when called upon in the most challenging warfighting scenarios.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the annual cost to the public purse for promoting diversity, equality and inclusion policies within the civil service.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Costs for equality, diversity and inclusion in the Civil Service have recently been published on Gov.uk. See the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review and Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's planned timetable is for issuing guidance on gender-questioning children to schools.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Broxbourne to the answer of 28 February 2025 to Question 31690.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's (a) rewilding and (b) land use policies on the amount of land available for (i) farming and (ii) food production.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Land Use Consultation published this year was underpinned by analysis of land use change for nature restoration and other objectives. This included analysis of potential spatial distributions of change to 2050, taking account of land’s suitability for food production. This analysis is set out in the Analytical Annex published alongside the consultation. We are currently analysing responses to the consultation and feedback on this analysis and will take them into account in the preparation of the Land Use Framework, the forthcoming food strategy and future UK Food Security Reports.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who arrived in the UK by small boat in the last 12 months have criminal records in their countries of origin.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Security and identity checks are carried out in respect of all small boat arrivals including criminality checks on UK databases for, amongst other things, convictions, pending prosecutions and wanted or missing reports. Further checks on criminality depend on the circumstances of each case.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the mental health support available to people in the Broxbourne constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring that mental health services are safe, effective, sustainable, and meet the needs of the population.

Long waits are being driven by increasing demand in a system in desperate need of change. We are already responding by delivering new, innovative models of care in the community. We are piloting six neighbourhood, 24/7 adult mental health centres to bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.

NHS England uses the Oversight Framework to assess the quality and safety of all mental health inpatient services in England, including services in Broxbourne. Risks and issues are escalated nationally using the quality risk and escalation framework.

In addition, the Care Quality Commission carries out monitoring and assessments of providers in England to ensure they are providing safe and quality care to people using their services. The Care Quality Commission has a duty under the Mental Health Act 1983 to monitor how services exercise their powers and discharge their duties when patients are detained in hospital or are subject to community treatment orders or guardianship.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the use of (a) electric bikes and (b) e-scooters by youth gangs involved in (i) drug dealing, (ii) theft and (iii) anti-social behaviour.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets.

Our Crime and Policing Bill will give the police greater powers to clamp down on all vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour including street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.

On 28 May, the Government launched a 6-week consultation on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially from 14 days to 48 hours. Combined, these proposals will help tackle the scourge of vehicles ridden anti-socially and illegally by sending a clear message to would be offenders and local communities that this behaviour will not be tolerated.

County Lines is the most violent model of drug supply and a harmful form of child criminal exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs and breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade. This includes funding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC), to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the (a) cultural and (b) religious backgrounds of grooming gang offenders.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Earlier this year, the Home Secretary commissioned Baroness Louise Casey to undertake a national audit into the nature, scale and characteristics of this type of offending, including considering the cultural and societal drivers for this offending. I will ensure the Hon Member receives a copy of Baroness Casey's report when it is published in the coming weeks.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled, Transport Secretary acts to make thousands of extra driving tests available each month, published on 23 April 2025, whether the measures have been implemented.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Since the announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport, 23 April 2025, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has:

• Asked volunteers currently working in other roles, but qualified to examine, to carry out practical driving tests.

• Reintroduced overtime pay incentives for everyone delivering driving tests. The additional testing allowance (ATA) scheme launched 1 June 2025. DVSA believes the introduction of the ATA will encourage those in other roles to provide tests.

As part of the measures announced, 23 April, DVSA also has:

• Continued to work towards doubling new entrant training capacity. By 31 July 2025, DVSA aims to double its permanent training resource from 13 to 26 trainers. This will ensure newly recruited driving examiners can qualify as quickly as possible.

• Launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests, on 28 May. Views are being sought from the driver training industry, learner drivers and other interested parties on changes which aim to prevent learner drivers being exploited by those who resell tests at a higher price. The consultation will close at 11:59pm on 23 July 2025.

Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the target for the number of banking hubs to be opened by the end of this Parliament.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 230 hubs have been announced so far, and over 160 are already open.

The commitment to open 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament is not a limit. Cash Access UK will deploy a banking hub wherever LINK, the industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments following a community request or branch closure, suggests one is appropriate.

Interception of small boats by France

Maintaining institutional neutrality of publicly funded buildings and spaces

Found: Current membership Florence Eshalomi (Labour; Vauxhall and Camberwell Green) (Chair) Lewis Cocking (Conservative

Found: Cooper 11 REPORT STAGE Wednesday 18 June 2025 Alex Sobel Jack Rankin Dr Caroline Johnson Lewis Cocking

Found: John Cooper 5 REPORT STAGE Wednesday 18 June 2025 Alex Sobel Jack Rankin Dr Caroline Johnson Lewis Cocking

Found: John Lamont Simon Hoare Alison Griffiths Greg Smith Graham Stuart Dame Caroline Dinenage Lewis Cocking

Found: John Lamont Simon Hoare Alison Griffiths Greg Smith Graham Stuart Dame Caroline Dinenage Lewis Cocking

Found: Bradley Thomas Sir Desmond Swayne Mary Kelly Foy Wera Hobhouse Melanie Ward Tim Farron Lewis Cocking

Found: John Lamont Simon Hoare Alison Griffiths Greg Smith Graham Stuart Dame Caroline Dinenage Lewis Cocking

Found: Rimmer Margaret Mullane Derek Twigg Marsha De Cordova Monica Harding Juliet Campbell Lewis Cocking

Found: Marie Rimmer Margaret Mullane Derek Twigg Marsha De Cordova Monica Harding Juliet Campbell Lewis Cocking

Found: Marie Rimmer Margaret Mullane Derek Twigg Marsha De Cordova Monica Harding Juliet Campbell Lewis Cocking

Found: John Lamont Simon Hoare Alison Griffiths Greg Smith Graham Stuart Dame Caroline Dinenage Lewis Cocking

Found: Marie Rimmer Margaret Mullane Derek Twigg Marsha De Cordova Monica Harding Juliet Campbell Lewis Cocking

Found: John Lamont Simon Hoare Alison Griffiths Greg Smith Graham Stuart Dame Caroline Dinenage Lewis Cocking

Found: Marie Rimmer Margaret Mullane Derek Twigg Marsha De Cordova Monica Harding Juliet Campbell Lewis Cocking

Found: Khan Rosie Duffield Danny Kruger Mark Garnier Alex Sobel Jack Rankin Dr Caroline Johnson Lewis Cocking

Found: Marie Rimmer Margaret Mullane Derek Twigg Marsha De Cordova Monica Harding Juliet Campbell Lewis Cocking

Found: that has already been published; and changes to other documents referred to in the NPPS.41 Lewis Cocking

Serbia APPG
Thursday 12th June 2025

Found: Attendees MPs/Peers • Wendy Morton MP • Lord (John) Randall of Uxbridge • Martin Vickers MP • Lewis Cocking

Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC) and the Pacific Islands APPG
Tuesday 10th June 2025

Found: Lewis Cocking M.P. Gurinder Josan C.B.E. M.P. Lt. Col. Lincoln Jopp M.C. M.P.

Future of Financial Services APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Hertford and Stortford) Adam Dance MP (Lib Dem, Yeovil) Blake Stevenson MP (Con, Mid Bedfordshire) Lewis Cocking

Future of Financial Services APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Lewis Cocking MP (Con, Broxbourne) – Vice Chair Members: 5.

Down Syndrome APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: MP (Cons, Chair) Andrew Cooper MP (Lab, Co-Chair) Jack Abbott MP (Lab) Mike Amesbury MP (Lab) Lewis Cocking

Financial Education for Young People APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Baroness Amanda Sater (Acting Chair) David Baines MP Lord David Blunkett David Burton-Sampson MP Lewis Cocking